Status
Available
Call number
Publication
North Atlantic Books (2010), Edition: Illustrated, 536 pages
Description
Health & Fitnes Psycholog Nonfictio HTML:In this timely and profoundly original new book, bestselling writer and physician Gabor Maté looks at the epidemic of addictions in our society, tells us why we are so prone to them and what is needed to liberate ourselves from their hold on our emotions and behaviours. For over seven years Gabor Maté has been the staff physician at the Portland Hotel, a residence and harm reduction facility in Vancouver�??s Downtown Eastside. His patients are challenged by life-threatening drug addictions, mental illness, Hepatitis C or HIV and, in many cases, all four. But if Dr. Maté�??s patients are at the far end of the spectrum, there are many others among us who are also struggling with addictions. Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, work, food, sex, gambling and excessive inappropriate spending: what is amiss with our lives that we seek such self-destructive ways to comfort ourselves? And why is it so difficult to stop these habits, even as they threaten our health, jeopardize our relationships and corrode our lives? Beginning with a dramatically close view of his drug addicted patients, Dr. Maté looks at his own history of compulsive behaviour. He weaves the stories of real people who have struggled with addiction with the latest research on addiction and the brain. Providing a bold synthesis of clinical experience, insight and cutting edge scientific findings, Dr. Maté sheds light on this most puzzling of human frailties. He proposes a compassionate approach to helping drug addicts and, for the many behaviour addicts among us, to addressing the void addiction is meant to fill. I believe there is one addiction process, whether it manifests in the lethal substance dependencies of my Downtown Eastside patients, the frantic self-soothing of overeaters or shopaholics, the obsessions of gamblers, sexaholics and compulsive internet users, or in the socially acceptable and even admired behaviours of the workaholic. Drug addicts are often dismissed and discounted as unworthy of empathy and respect. In telling their stories my intent is to help their voices to be heard and to shed light on the origins and nature of their ill-fated struggle to overcome suffering through substance use. Both in their flaws and their virtues they share much in common with the society that ostracizes them. If they have chosen a path to nowhere, they still have much to teach the rest of us. In the dark mirror of their lives we can trace outlines of our own.�??from In the Realm of H… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member c_why
All Gabor Maté's books are the most insightful medical-psychology books I've ever read. Every page I wan't to jot in margin: "Yes, this is ME". His book on Attention Deficit Disorder is especially brilliant ("Scattered MInds") - as is this one. "Addiction" is used in its broadest sense as well as
He's a Vancouver MD who's been there himself (A.D.D. , addictions, you name it). A clear, intelligent, entertaining writer who has always worked in the trenches & obvious loves his patients (we, his readers, included in that group of course).
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all the most specific "...oholisms" there areHe's a Vancouver MD who's been there himself (A.D.D. , addictions, you name it). A clear, intelligent, entertaining writer who has always worked in the trenches & obvious loves his patients (we, his readers, included in that group of course).
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Free LibraryThing early reviewer copy. Maté, a Canadian physician, treats addicts; which is to say that he gives them health care and tries to help them manage the damage drugs are doing to them, since many of them can’t make themselves stay off and he’s quite sympathetic to the reasons why,
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the pain inside that is most easily (or only) suppressed by drug use. Addiction is a response to damage, and he draws (sometimes unconvincing) analogies between his patients and his own habit of buying classical music in obsessive, excessive, and financially unsustainable quantities. Though he does believe that individuals can stop using drugs, he doesn’t think that’s a plausible solution for many, given their lack of other opportunities to not feel so bad; to end drug abuse, we’d have to stop hurting children in all the ways we find to hurt them. The stories are powerful and his advice, in the end, is compassion—which means that there’s not necessarily much that’s active in his proscriptions. Show Less
LibraryThing member elmegil
This is a hard book to read. Not in its prose or style, but in content. The first hundred pages are largely a recounting of partial case histories of the addicts that Dr. Mate works with. After that, it eases up a bit with discussion of the biochemistry of addiction. Being a hard book, I have not
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yet gotten any further than that, but even with what I've read, I would strongly encourage this for anyone interested in Drug Policy. I don't get the sense that Dr. Mate is letting the people he describes off the hook for bad personal decisions, but he underscores the point time and again that addiction is about far more than a specific drug or pattern of behavior, and acting as if all these people just chose to be this way neither solves the problems of addiction and addicts nor gives those people their due as suffering human beings. They can't and won't make better decisions if all we do is the equivalent of lecturing them about making better decisions. We have to treat them with compassion--and far too much of the discussion of Drugs today is about how can we punish them so they learn the error of their ways. There's a line to walk between destructive enablement and constructive compassion, and Dr. Mate's book does a good job of explaining why finding that line is so important. Show Less
LibraryThing member Phil-James
This is the second book by Gabor Maté I've read. The first was about stress and the immune system. He has a way of using himself as a very human example of his subject so that the people he tries to help are human too, before they are seen as "cases"
This is not a self-help book for anyone in the
Recommended.
This is not a self-help book for anyone in the
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depths of addiction but a plea to all of us to realise we're probably all on a spectrum of addiction. A plea for compassion in our lives and in government policy.Recommended.
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LibraryThing member donbarger
An excellent book that challenged my view of addiction.
LibraryThing member atheist_goat
I found this book moving, thoughtful, and articulate. The topics do jump around a bit, but that kept my interest and made it easier to dip into a chapter at a time, which is good in a book on such a depressing topic. And yet Maté manages to be hopeful as well, without being unrealistic.
I did start
Other than that, though, I found this an excellent and powerful book and recommend it highly.
I did start
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to shy away a bit at the very end, when he comes dangerously close to stating that an addict cannot get sober without accepting a Higher Power; this is not just untrue but bad practice for a doctor working with addicted people, as it discourages atheist or agnostic addicts from trying to get help. Personally, the 12 Steps model bugs me a lot: I don't believe any model is really about helping people if on Step 2 you're already excluding anyone who doesn't have the kind of spiritual beliefs that you think they should have. It really bothered me that Maté looked at his own addictive behavior and his agnosticism, and came to the conclusion that he hasn't defeated the former because of the latter. No, you haven't defeated the former because you're still telling yourself you're not good enough to, not spiritual enough to, and don't deserve to; which is just an excuse to continue. My two cents, anyway. Other than that, though, I found this an excellent and powerful book and recommend it highly.
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LibraryThing member oraclejenn
I saw this book on the Early Reviewers list and thought it would help me understand family members who are addicts. The book is very well written and doesn't come off as too preachy, which I like as many other books seem to blame the addict.
I understand that addiction is as much a mental drive as a
I understand that addiction is as much a mental drive as a
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physical need and I feel that this book addressed both issues. In reading the Dr. Mate's book, I have been able to talk with my family members who are addicts a little easier and have even given one of them the book to read in the hopes that it will help her on her way to recovery. Show Less
LibraryThing member hredfern
Overall, I found this book insightful and thought-provoking. Mate profiles the human side of addiction and the toll it takes on all who struggle with it. I have often lamented society's casualties of the "war on drugs," locked up in prisons instead of getting the treatment that could help them.
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Hopefully, this book will encourage more compassionate view of the addicts in our lives and our communities. Show Less
LibraryThing member simora
This book will challenge and change your views on addiction. Gabor Mate is working with Vancouver's Downtown Eastside population for many years; he knows addiction also from his personal experience. In this book he is recounting his experiences with addicted patients from the Portland Hotel; it is
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rough and gentle at the same time, and very genuine. Compared to other books I have read written by physicians, Gabor has a deep humbleness about his role and actions. He looks not only at the lives of his patients but at his own shortcomings. I devoured this book page by page- it is more than a book on addiction, it is on what makes us human. Show Less
LibraryThing member meggyweg
Written in clear, lucid prose any reasonably intelligent adult could understand, without a lot of confusing jargon, Dr. Mate explains the forces behind addiction and why so many addicts fail time and time again to get clean, in spite of all the incentives for doing so. This book gave me a lot to
Everyone in Congress should read this book, as well as everyone who has to interact with addicts on a regular basis. Dr. Mate is a wise, forward-thinking man.
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think about regarding the brain, and I also found his cautionary points about adoption studies and twin studies very interesting and relevant. Mate conclusively demonstrates that addicts are not "bad," that they have very little control of the actions surrounding their addiction, and that kind and loving parents can produce an addict just as easily as indifferent or abusive parents. (On the last point Mate uses his own experiences as a child Holocaust survivor as an example: his parents loved him very much and cared for him as best they could, but the stress and deprivation of his infancy left an ineradicable mark on this brain development.) Finally, Mate sets forth a sensible "harm reduction" social policy that could potentially make life easier for everyone, not just addicts and their families, by reducing the problems drug abuse causes in the community.Everyone in Congress should read this book, as well as everyone who has to interact with addicts on a regular basis. Dr. Mate is a wise, forward-thinking man.
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LibraryThing member charlierb3
Quite dense, couldn't really get into it
LibraryThing member adclax1
This book is profoundly moving and saddening. Gabor Mate takes you on a journey inside the darkest pits of addiction. He captivates with his clear intellect and ability to empathize with the abused and the abuser.
I recommend this book to anyone.
I recommend this book to anyone.
LibraryThing member ruthseeley
I waited a long time to read this book after requesting it at the library as it was so popular. Important ideas here, but I found it rather geocentric and the author's need to identify with addicts by going on about his compulsive music-buying habits both intrusive and odd. There's a difference
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between having OCD and being an addict. I would have edited it quite differently. Still, very glad I read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member dmarsh451
"My soul, sick and covered with sores, lunged outward instead, in a mad desire to scratch itself against some physical relief." St-Augustine
This is an excellent book. Dr. Maté understands this completely and has much to add to it.
This is an excellent book. Dr. Maté understands this completely and has much to add to it.
LibraryThing member Bookworm39
With both professional and personal insight, Dr. Gabor Mate' unravels the complicated mysteries of why and how addiction occurs in vast numbers of our population. But, most importantly, how to treat the devastating effects it has on both individuals and society at large.
His experience and research
His experience and research
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lay to rest many of the fallacies and prejudices that the general public assumes about addictions of all types and helps us understand how addiction transcends class. And all of this is done with unflinching truth and persistent compassion and humanity from the author himself. Show Less
LibraryThing member revslick
Intimate and engaging book exploring Mate's personal search, exploration, and medical cases in the field of addiction. If you've never read one of these, then this would rate at least a 4; however, I've read several with this one revealing nothing new. It was also interesting to note his 12 step
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research showed results but because he had some personal quips doesn't give it the weight his research did. My biggest complaint is he is running a methadone clinic and at some point you'd think he'd realize he is part of the problem and not the solution. His journey beyond the book does this so it would be good to see an updated edition. Show Less
LibraryThing member larryerick
There is both good and bad to report about this book. First, the best of the good: I highly recommend this book along with Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow, to get a thorough reexamination of America's War on Drugs. If you're still believing Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign along with
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massive armies of law enforcement outfitted with military weaponry is working out just dandy, then ignore that last comment...and good luck with all that. In fact, stop reading this review. Now, for a bit of the not so good. While both this book and Alexander's book approach the drug war issue comprehensively with intelligence, Alexander's civil rights book is the epitome of lucidity and succinctness, this author shifts gears several times and occasionally fails to make himself clear, making this a rather disjointed but still valuable assessment. Concentrating in the drug addicted community of a Canadian big city, the book starts as a sort of memoir of working there with the addicts, drawing the reader in. After a brief pause to explain the author's own background and addiction -- though not with drugs -- he shifts to being a bit of a college professor on a definition of addiction and the intricacies of the human brain, relating it to addiction. Another shift takes place -- with things starting to get squishy -- as issues of personality traits, social trends, political policy, etc. get discussed. Eventually, the book shifts gears abruptly into an addict's self-help manual, finally ending rather quickly with what might be described as a cross between a religious revival meeting and a serene workshop at a far eastern school of spiritual enlightenment. The author is clearly intelligent, empathetic, self-aware, and hard-working, so I forgive his transgressions. He's a nice guy, maybe even a great guy, and I give him credit. I just wish he hadn't made me go through so much effort. Show Less
LibraryThing member jasoncomely
It would be a far more compassionate world if everyone read this book. Everyone can benefit from it.
LibraryThing member kgallagher625
This is an insightful book about addicts and addiction by a medical doctor, Gabor Mate, who has years of experience in one of Vancouver's worst drug areas, Downtown Eastside.
The first half of the book mixes anecdotal accounts of his experiences with the addicts he attempts to keep alive and his
I found his theories about addiction the most compelling reading. He believes that addictions arise through a combination of forces: the natural temperament of the addict, his life experiences, especially in early childhood, and the larger societal forces that keep addicts in a hopeless state. He believes that addiction in any form has very little to do with the drug an addict uses, but rather with the emptiness he is attempting to fill and the lack of community he feels. He suggests that most treatments for addiction fail because they either don't address these issues or cannot improve them.
The last half of the book is an indictment of our absurd, ineffective, and inhumane "War on Drugs." Mate asserts that this "war" is not against drugs, but against the most damaged, weak and vulnerable members of our society, those that need our compassion the most. He repeats the sad statistics that most people already know - that the war on drugs is almost completely ineffective and does more harm than good. He advocates a more compassionate approach to the problem of addiction - a combination of community programs, decriminalization of some drugs, and a realistic, approach that does not criminalize all drug users and incorporates an understanding that complete abstinence is not possible for everyone.
This was an extensive and lengthy book, but was well written and interesting. I learned a lot, and I admire Dr. Mate and his humane efforts to help people.
The first half of the book mixes anecdotal accounts of his experiences with the addicts he attempts to keep alive and his
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beliefs about the nature and causes of addiction itself.I found his theories about addiction the most compelling reading. He believes that addictions arise through a combination of forces: the natural temperament of the addict, his life experiences, especially in early childhood, and the larger societal forces that keep addicts in a hopeless state. He believes that addiction in any form has very little to do with the drug an addict uses, but rather with the emptiness he is attempting to fill and the lack of community he feels. He suggests that most treatments for addiction fail because they either don't address these issues or cannot improve them.
The last half of the book is an indictment of our absurd, ineffective, and inhumane "War on Drugs." Mate asserts that this "war" is not against drugs, but against the most damaged, weak and vulnerable members of our society, those that need our compassion the most. He repeats the sad statistics that most people already know - that the war on drugs is almost completely ineffective and does more harm than good. He advocates a more compassionate approach to the problem of addiction - a combination of community programs, decriminalization of some drugs, and a realistic, approach that does not criminalize all drug users and incorporates an understanding that complete abstinence is not possible for everyone.
This was an extensive and lengthy book, but was well written and interesting. I learned a lot, and I admire Dr. Mate and his humane efforts to help people.
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LibraryThing member utterlycharming
Let's just say this book made me cry a bit. I used to nanny for a drug court judge and former public defender, and I thought of the general observations she used to make about the losing battle in the "war on drugs"a lot as I read In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. Gabor Mate is like the Dr. Drew of
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Canada, and he seems to really care for and understand his patients' struggles with addiction in a way that the people leading the fight in the drug wars fail to see, I think. I think in this day and age, most people know or have known someone who has openly struggled with addiction, but Maté makes you realize that pretty much everyone carries some kind of addiction - it's a part of human nature. More than just a book about why people develop addictions, Maté offers alternative solutions to help fight addiction, along with the stories (and even a few photos) of some of his real-life patients. Show Less
LibraryThing member Christilee394
Eye-opening and insightful!
Goodreads star rating system is as the following:
1 Star equals Did not like it
2 Stars equals It was okay
3 Stars equals Liked it
4 Stars equals Really liked it
5 Stars equals It was amazing
A friend and I were talking about Safe Injection Sites. We discussed the normal stuff
The reason for not giving 4 or 5 stars, I found a couple areas dry and had to revisit the paragraphs that I zoned out on. Also, a few things I feel were a bit repetitive or lengthy and could have been shortened.
Overall, this was a great, informative book that answers the questions I was looking for.
"Perhaps there’s a fascination in that element of outrageous, unapologetic pseudo authenticity. In our secret fantasies, who among us wouldn’t like to be as carelessly brazen about our flaws?"
~Gabor Mate, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction
Goodreads star rating system is as the following:
1 Star equals Did not like it
2 Stars equals It was okay
3 Stars equals Liked it
4 Stars equals Really liked it
5 Stars equals It was amazing
A friend and I were talking about Safe Injection Sites. We discussed the normal stuff
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that always comes up, like whether these sites were truly safe? Should taxpayer money fund these sites? What real advantages/disadvantages are there? Yada, yada, yada… Anyhoo, I realized I really didn’t have enough informed facts to have a well-versed opinion. I can say that after reading Mate’s, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, I now have a solid, unwavering opinion. For me this book is a 3.5- 3.75 but Goodreads doesn’t allow for such options. This book is an incredibly insightful read where every chapter offers something to learn. The information is on addiction, neurological development, brain chemistry, emotional impact, struggles and so much more. Gabor Mate’s book is highly technical but written for a layperson like me to understand. With this information, I have formed a whole new outlook towards addiction, be it drugs, sex, food, nicotine, basically all addictions.The reason for not giving 4 or 5 stars, I found a couple areas dry and had to revisit the paragraphs that I zoned out on. Also, a few things I feel were a bit repetitive or lengthy and could have been shortened.
Overall, this was a great, informative book that answers the questions I was looking for.
"Perhaps there’s a fascination in that element of outrageous, unapologetic pseudo authenticity. In our secret fantasies, who among us wouldn’t like to be as carelessly brazen about our flaws?"
~Gabor Mate, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction
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LibraryThing member beentsy
I finished this a while ago but since then have gone back to it on multiple occasions to reread sections, to make notes of things that particularly resonated with me, and to continue processing what it taught me. I have found an awful lot in this book that is of immense value to me.
LibraryThing member bgkidd81
This work interprets addiction in a broader context. Not only is this an intensely Canadian resource, based on Dr. Maté’s experiences running a safe injection clinic in Vancouver, it also tackles popular understandings of addiction and includes insights that will encourage the reader to learn
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more about the topic. For example, Maté explodes the commonly held notion that substances are inherently addictive. They are not. The insights shared in this book have implications beyond the personal; one can see how public policies could (or should) be changed to better address addictions at a social level. An excellent introduction to anyone wanting to better understand addiction. Show Less
LibraryThing member morningwalker
I thought reading this book would give me some new insight into one of society’s major problems because many, if not all of us have lived with an addicted person, known an addicted person, or been addicted to something ourselves (even if we haven’t been aware of it). Therefore, I selected it in
The reason I wasn’t sure I wanted it is because I thought there was a possibility of it being another “self-help” book. I don’t care for “self-help books because there are literally thousands of them out there (and I’ve tried to read a few) and I think if they were that successful, they wouldn‘t keep being spewed out and bought as they are.
This book wasn’t a typical “self help” type of book and I found it to be a pretty good read. Dr. Maté, the author, works with all types of addicts in Vancouver, Canada’s Downtown Eastside, and with their permission has included his encounters with them to validate many of his theories on addiction. I liked the way he wrote it in layman’s terms for the most part (if there was too much on neurotransmitters and neurological circuits, etc. I may have skimmed a bit) and even offered reasonable solutions to the problem of addiction.
I think anyone living with an addicted person or anyone wanting to know more about addiction would find this a thought provoking book to help gain some understanding of what a powerful and human thing addiction can be. Dr. Maté even includes his own struggles with addiction to show how it can affect anyone, at the top of the ladder or at the bottom.
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the LT Early Reviewers choices, not really expecting to get it and not really sure I wanted it. The reason I wasn’t sure I wanted it is because I thought there was a possibility of it being another “self-help” book. I don’t care for “self-help books because there are literally thousands of them out there (and I’ve tried to read a few) and I think if they were that successful, they wouldn‘t keep being spewed out and bought as they are.
This book wasn’t a typical “self help” type of book and I found it to be a pretty good read. Dr. Maté, the author, works with all types of addicts in Vancouver, Canada’s Downtown Eastside, and with their permission has included his encounters with them to validate many of his theories on addiction. I liked the way he wrote it in layman’s terms for the most part (if there was too much on neurotransmitters and neurological circuits, etc. I may have skimmed a bit) and even offered reasonable solutions to the problem of addiction.
I think anyone living with an addicted person or anyone wanting to know more about addiction would find this a thought provoking book to help gain some understanding of what a powerful and human thing addiction can be. Dr. Maté even includes his own struggles with addiction to show how it can affect anyone, at the top of the ladder or at the bottom.
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LibraryThing member nmele
This should be required reading for everyone who encounters people struggling with addictions, and all addicts struggle. Mate tells stories about patients he has known as the physician to many drug addicts and alcoholics, but he also tells of his own and others behavioral addictions. He is
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sensitive to the people he describes as people and honest about the times his awareness of themas troubled and traumatized people slips into judgement. I have ordered my own copy because this book is inspiring and filled with excellent ideas about harm reduction and addiction. Show Less
Awards
BC and Yukon Book Prizes (Winner — Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize — 2009)
City of Vancouver Book Award (Shortlist — 2009)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
8.93 inches
ISBN
155643880X / 9781556438806